Saving lives: transportation of patients from Gaza – perspectives from Romania
Transportation of patients from Gaza
WHO is working with Member States and partners to address the most urgent health needs across the world, supporting health systems, delivering life-saving supplies and organizing medical evacuations for patients living in conflict-affected areas.
As of 24 February 2025, 6295 patients – a large majority of them children – have been evacuated as part of the health response in Gaza since October 2023. Medical evacuations are complex, high-stakes operations that require a coordinated approach and close communication among numerous partners across several countries.
However, the life-saving assistance provided by Member States, such as Romania, demonstrates that with enough political will, the impossible can become possible.
Romania’s important role
Romania is one of the 16 Member States that stepped forward and offered to provide medical evacuations and health-care services to critically ill patients before the ceasefire deal through the European Union Civil Protection and Humanitarian Assistance Mechanism.
Dr Caroline Clarinval, WHO Representative in Romania, explains, “The efforts made by Romania in these medical evacuations are commendable. Together with WHO and various actors, Romania coordinated some of the most intricate evacuation flights of critically ill patients from Gaza. Witnessing the local and international levels of cooperation among dedicated actors and the interplay between them moved us all.”
She adds, “As a result of these efforts, Romania successfully airlifted critically ill patients and their families from the Ramon Airport in Eilat, Israel. The military aircraft flew them to Romania and from here, the patients were transported directly to local health-care facilities for treatment or boarded aircraft to other Member States across the WHO European Region to receive medical care there.”
Coordinated work
The preparations for such an operation are immense at both the diplomatic level and on the ground, requiring extensive involvement of WHO offices in the eastern Mediterranean and European regions.
In Romania’s case, the Government’s response involved the coordinated work of multiple ministries and departments, including the Ministry of Health, the Department of Emergency Situations, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, alongside social services and various nonprofit organizations.
The strength of international cooperation
For the most recent medical evacuation of 12 critically ill patients and 33 family members on 15 January 2025, the level of solidarity and coordination among the actors involved was remarkable.
Upon arrival in Bucharest, 5 paediatric patients, along with 14 family members, remained in Romania, where they are receiving specialized care in local hospitals. The expert medical attention being given to these young patients offers hope and support during a critical time.
Five patients, accompanied by 16 family members, were transferred to France for treatment. The flight from Bucharest to Paris was operated by Slovakia, ensuring a safe and smooth journey to their destination.
One patient was transported to Norway by Romania, and another patient, along with 3 family members, was flown to Albania aboard a Luxembourg medical ambulance.
These coordinated evacuation efforts showcase the strength of international cooperation, ensuring that critically ill patients from Gaza are provided with urgent care in hospitals across the European Region. The compassion and teamwork of all involved countries have brought much-needed relief to those in desperate need of medical attention.
A test of preparedness
The specialized multidisciplinary teams that join these evacuation flights are trained to care for multiple patients at once, fly in difficult situations and handle any emergency situations that arise during their mission – all while demonstrating extraordinary compassion.
Captain Ioan Cramar, the commander of one of the Romanian squadrons flying on these medical evacuation flights, shares that these missions are a culmination of all their training over time: “In order for a mission of this kind to be successful, with so many variables involved, it needs to be very well coordinated. Which is why all the decision-makers, and all the staff operating in the field have to come to a table at some point where all these things are discussed in an attempt to eliminate as many risks as possible. These missions test our preparedness, they test our ability to think, to react quickly and to synthesize. But this is exactly what our training prepares us for.”
His colleague, Captain Andrei Faisan, speaks about the impact of these missions: “Such moments come with great fulfilment because we can contribute to some amazing missions. We're talking about saving lives here, which, from my point of view, is the best we can do.”
Emergency medical teams
The medical teams flying to save lives are also made up of dedicated Emergency Medical Services (EMS) doctors and nurses that care for the patients and their families throughout their long journey to safety.
Dr Andreea Popescu, one of the EMS physicians on the evacuation flights, explains, “The role of the emergency medical teams in these evacuations is crucial. We are the ones who are prepared for any situation – for large numbers of patients, for critical situations, for complex pathologies.”
Her colleague Dr Vlad Ispas, another EMS physician supporting the medical evacuations from Gaza, notes, “Personally, it is an honour and a privilege to participate in these types of missions, because we contribute a small act of care for people who have most likely lost almost everything.”
A safe and quiet place to stay
So far, 20 patients and their families have been evacuated from Gaza to Romania for specialized medical treatment. Most of them are children. They have found a safe haven in the care offered by specialized doctors, nurses and social-service workers in Romania.
Some of the patients evacuated to Romania since September 2024 have already recovered, while others are continuing their treatment. Meanwhile, their families are navigating the new environment in Bucharest. With the help of local associations that have stepped forward and offered their services and support to the Romanian Government, their integration is much easier.
Ms Ana Olaru, Project Manager at Habitat for Humanity, describes this support during one of her regular visits to the families from Gaza: “These families have children with critical medical conditions, and they need stability and a safe and quiet place to stay without having the worry and hassle of finding a home in a country they don’t know. It is very important for them to take care of the treatment of the sick children and the integration of the other children. Thus, we offered our support. We provide them with accommodation, and then, after 6 to 7 months, we teach them how to pay the bills, and we also do part of this integration process so that they can become independent.”
Abdullah’s illness
Soma and her 4 children are among the families who are now living in the accommodation provided by Ana’s team. She arrived in Romania in the autumn of 2024 on one of the medical evacuation flights with Abdullah, her 6-year-old son, and 3 of his siblings. When Abdullah was only 3 years old, he was diagnosed with leukaemia.
“It’s hard to know your son has such a serious disease,” Soma shares. She recalls the moment they received the grave news of Abdullah’s illness: “He was always active, he would always be coming and going to some place or another to play, and then, one day, he would not move. So, we went to the hospital, and they told us he has this blood disease, leukaemia.”
The war only made things worse for Soma and her family, as it became next to impossible to get the necessary tests and treatments for Abdullah and their family home was destroyed in the bombings.
Hope and possibility
After arriving in Romania, Abdullah was able to get much-needed medical treatment. While still dealing with painful memories, Soma, together with the children, can slowly start building a new life with more hope and possibilities. “We feel like we are home,” she says. “The Romanians are good people, and I thank all those who helped us get here. We are also taking courses to learn the local language. The kids go to the school on their own and there is no worry or fear anymore.”
Around 12 000 to 14 000 people in Gaza still need medical evacuation. WHO continues to urge countries to step forward and offer their support, while advocating for scaled-up approvals via all possible routes, so that the lives of these patients can be saved in time. Following the ceasefire deal, addressing the massive health needs and restoring the health system in Gaza are complex and challenging tasks, to which WHO continues to be committed.